How Glyphosate and Its Derivatives Influence Antimicrobial Resistance Emergence and Transmission: A One Health...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Glyphosate-based herbicides are widespread environmental pollutants.
• They impact microbial metabolism, stress responses, and genetic exchange.
• Glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA are linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how glyphosate influences resistance phenotypes and antibiotic resistance (ABR) dissemination.
• To evaluate mechanistic and ecological interactions between glyphosate and bacterial resistance.

Main Methods:

• Critical synthesis of existing literature.
• Evaluation of studies on soil, aquatic, and host-associated microbiomes.
• Analysis of glyphosate's effects on bacterial resistance phenotypes and community structure.

Main Results:

• Sublethal glyphosate exposure induces oxidative stress, alters membrane permeability, and activates efflux pumps.
• It enhances mutation rates and horizontal gene transfer, promoting resistance.
• Glyphosate restructures microbiomes and enriches resistance determinants, even at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Conclusions:

• Glyphosate modulates resistance phenotypes and acts as a selective pressure on microbial communities.
• Its persistence makes it a contributor to AMR emergence and spread.
• Integrating AMR into pesticide risk assessments and expanding field validation is crucial.